Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE
5.0RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
5.1
Introduction
This chapter outlines suggested recommendations that have been formulated in line with the
issues that have emerged in the preceding chapters; and brings the discourse to a close by
way of conclusion.
In view of the issues that have emerged in the exploration of the study of part-time
employees, one key aspect that stands uncontradicted is the deep vulnerability to which this
class of employees is subjected. The study has however, demonstrated that this differential
treatment perpetuated by employers towards part-time employees is simply a mental fiction
that attracts neither moral nor legal justification. The factors that might have given birth to
the conception that part-time employees are an inferior class of workers have equally been
laid bare. What therefore remains in the twilight of this study is to look at viable means of
restoring the dignity of part-time employees comparable to full-time employees. It must be
quickly mentioned that the suggested remedial measures are merely illustrative of what must
be done and should in no way be construed as an exhaustive package of solutions to redress
part-time employees’ challenges.
5.2 Recommendations
5.2.1Sensitisations on part-time employment
At the very core of all the measures that may be conceived in arresting the ills associated with
part-time employment is sensitisation. Sensitisation brings about awareness with respect to
the existence of a given state of affairs. Without sensitisation, even well-meant and properly
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thought out interventions may not bring the desired results. However, sensitisation in this
case is in the context of the discussion in the preceding findings. The discussion on the whole
has established that the labour laws interpreted in their present form exhibit no trace of
discrimination between part-time and full-time employees with regard to treatment and
entitlements. What therefore, requires redressing is the mindset which is the birth place of the
conception that there is a dichotomy between the two classes of employees. This redress can
be achieved by mounting rigorous campaigns and sensitisation programmes targeting both
employees and employers. It must be explained properly that breaking the mental barrier
between the two classes of employees unlocks a plethora of benefits for both part-time
employees and full-time employees as the discussion has already demonstrated. The Ministry
of Labour and Social Security must spearhead sensitisation and awareness campaigns and
take on board other strategic bodies such the National Pension Scheme Authority, among
other bodies.
5.2.2
Increased funding
Inextricably bound to the above recommendation is the aspect of funding from the
government. In order for these bodies to robustly carry out this role, adequate funding is
needed to conduct campaigns which must be followed up with ferocious inspections of places
of work and meting out of appropriate penal measures to extract compliance. The current
alleged docility on the part of the labour commissioner is inimical to the demands of every
citizen for social justice as the cornerstone for everlasting peace. There is therefore need for
remodeling of functions and adoption of viable mechanisms that are result oriented in the
above mentioned bodies.
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5.2.3
Legislation enactment
The other inescapable measure that must be embarked upon borders on the enactment of a
distinct piece of legislation to specifically address the plight of this class of workers. As
already noted in the foregoing chapters, prior to the privatisation that began in the early
1990s, the prevailing policy of the government (the sole employer) was to hire an employee
first for a six-month probationary period (as a temporary employee) and then on a permanent
basis (as a permanent employee) until an employee retired either upon reaching 25 years of
service or an age of 551. Nowadays, each individual employer has its own policy on hiring
labour, and an employee might be hired on a part-time or a full-time basis (36 to 48 hours per
week), on a 1-year, 5-year or open-ended contract; on a contract stipulating a salary or an
hourly wage, on a formal or informal basis. In other words, at the very heart of the Zambian
labour laws is an outdated Employment Act that recognises all the present employees as
either working for the government or for parastatal companies because retirement at the age
55 is not strictly followed in the private sector as employers are free to employ on terms other
than the permanent and pensionable basis. This situation can be comprehensively dealt with
by way of enacting a specific legislation or revising the current labour laws. One may ask at
this point as to why amend or enact specific legislation when it has already been mentioned
earlier that the labour laws presently do not discriminate? The question of enacting or
amending the present laws to specifically include peculiarities of part-time employment
cannot be overemphasised. Firstly, the enactment of specific legislation to deal with this class
of employees will once and for all put the debate as to legal protection of part-time
employees to a close. In other words, the law will quell any form of doubt both in the present
and the future.
1
Section 18, National Pension Scheme Authority, No 40 of 1996
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The danger with maintaining the status quo is that any argument that may arise regarding the
entitlements of part-time employees is dependent on the interpretation of the courts for
resolution. Admittedly, there is nothing wrong with this dependency on the courts for
interpretation, but it is even better to take out the benefits and the entitlements due to parttime employees outside the realm of conjecture and speculation so as to attain the same
clarity as those of full-time employees by clearly providing for such in an independent Act.
Further, the Act can be an opportunity and viable forum to address other matters incidental to
part-time employment such as measures to encourage or foster the development of flexible
labour market and the benefit thereof as well as providing incentives for employers providing
high quality part-time work on the same terms as full-time. Besides, enacting a law to
provide for part-time employees as a distinct and vulnerable class in need of protection is in
consonance with the standard practice in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and
South-Africa. In the United Kingdom, there is enacted a law called Part-Time Workers
(Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000. This is so, notwithstanding that
part-time employees are covered within the meaning of the term “employee” in the primary
labour legislation as the situation is in Zambia.
It must be further noted that the reason why the law in question in the United Kingdom was
passed, was not necessarily that less favourable treatment was widespread, it was essentially
to propel the development of a flexible labour market, encouraging the greater availability of
part-time employment and increasing the quality and the range of jobs which are considered
suitable for part-time employment and partly to end residual cases of less favourable
treatment. It is therefore not superfluous at all to have an independent Act that addresses the
plight of part-time employees in Zambia, especially if it also seeks to foster other objectives
akin to the English model.
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5.2.4Advocacy
It is undoubtedly attestable that prudent labour laws provide a foundation for uplifting the
quality of employment created as well as ensuring that employees extract a fair share of their
toil. The promulgation of sound labour laws, however, requires intercession and advocacy
from strategically positioned organisations such as the church and the civil society
organisations and other interest groups. The church and the civil society organisations have a
unique role in shaping the society in which respect for human rights becomes the common
language worth of subscription. The church as an embodiment of the social teachings of Jesus
Christ is expected to rise to the occasion and speak against the ills obtaining on the labour
market. Civil society organisations can equally play a key role in lobbying for a change of
attitude by employers on part-time employment among other issues. The voices of civil
society organisations can undoubtedly spark response from government and provide a forum
for consultation with a view to promulgating laws that have an embodiment of justice.
Advocacy from both the church and civil society organizations is a key to creating a
multifaceted response aimed at suffocating the ills attached to part-time employment.
5.3 Conclusion
It is not indispute that a perfectly competitive labour market is a key to the realisation of
social justice and maintenance of peace in the world. This state of affairs, however desirable,
requires genuine and legitimate efforts in both policy crafting and legislative interventions as
recommended above. The finding that a given class of workers suffers unjustifiable
discrimination at the hand of many employers must be a shared concern which must spark
dialogue aiming at finding lasting solutions to this challenge. The ills attached to part-time
employment is also a clear demonstration that the labour market cannot perfectly regulate
itself in a manner that fosters equality and economic satisfaction among its players because of
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the immense bargaining power wielded by employers. It is in circumstances like this that the
government must prove its qualities of compassion and play its role effectively as
independent umpire in the regulation of the labour market.
The discourse has brought to the fore misconceptions that accentuated the birth of the ills
associated with part-time employment. Having therefore dismissed these fallacies that tended
to perpetuate discrimination between full-time and part-time employment, it is important to
address traditional disparities in pay and benefits between full-time and part-time workers
which cause dissatisfaction among part-time employees. Part-time work must be encouraged
and facilitated (especially on a voluntary basis), as it contributes to the flexible organisation
of working time in a manner which takes into account the needs of employers and workers.
This discourse has shown that times have and service organisations have found and will
continue to find it necessary to extend their hours to accommodate customer needs. Part-time
workers have been a source of labour that has been used to fill these extended hours. It is
therefore important to address traditional disparities in pay and benefits between full-time and
part-time workers which cause dissatisfaction among part-time employees.
A part-time employee is in essence comparable to full-time workers and no preferential
treatment must be encouraged. A part-time worker can be compared to a full-time employee
where both employees perform the same work and under the same or similar conditions or
each is interchangeable with the other in relation to the work. There are however, exceptional
circumstances under which a part time employee may be treated less favourably. Such
grounds must be objective. A ground would be considered as an objective ground for
treatment in a less favourable manner if it is based on considerations other than the status of
the employee as a part-time worker and the purpose of the less favourable treatment is to
achieve a legitimate objective which is clear enough and such treatment is necessary for that
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purpose. It must be made clear that part-time employment in itself is not bad. However, what
becomes problematic is the “face” society tends to attach to it. It is undeniable for instance,
that part-time employment may be a solution for better work- life balance, enabling parents to
spend more time with their children while remaining in employment, on the other hand
employers can adjust their resources to cyclical conditions over the course of a time period by
using part-time labour.
The “watchword” in all these endeavours is that part-time work requires and must have a
human face. The perception or the reality that part-time employment appears economically
unstable and less secure as compared to the conventional full-time employment is an affront
to social justice. A free market economy in which conscionable labour laws with moral
values superintend and guide the labour market is not a far cry. A society in which employees
and employers alike work enthusiastically in cooperation in the interest of industrial peace,
greater efficiency and productivity to create a better Zambia for today and tomorrow is
possible. It is notoriously true that man in his entire journey on earth appeals to certain
indispensable virtues and among them is the pursuit of happiness. Happiness dignifies the gift
of life and brings about fulfillment and self-actualisation. This is only possible with a fairly
levelled labour market whose sole aim must be to uplift and restore the dignity of a Zambian
employee. To underscore the importance of happiness in the life of mankind, the pioneers of
the American independence, in their infinite wisdom decided to enshrine in the American
Declaration of Independence and state:
We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they
endowed by the creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The economic tides of the world may have evolved and will continue to do so. However, the
common understanding of the dignity of work remains unshaken. It is therefore hoped that
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the investigative abilities that have brought to the fore the fictitious difference between fulltime and part-time employees will fuel constructive and rigorous scanning of the labour
market with a view to redressing the imbalance between the two classes of employees.
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